Power take-off device



1951 H. D. BR'EEN ET AL 2,574,372

POWER TAKE-OFF DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 2 #EMQY D. BEEE/v flwLPA 6. K/ELLM/JK INVENTORS H. D. BREEN ET AL TAKE-OFF DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 6, 1951 POWER Filed Jan. 17, 1947 #EA/EY D. BREE/V #001. PH 6. A usLLM/a'z INVENTOR-Y fig 6 Patented Nov. 6, 1951 POWER TAKE-OJFF DEVICE Henry D. Breen, Chicago, and Adolph G. Kuellmar, Blue Island, Ill., assignors to Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January17, 1947, Serial No. 722,534

The invention relates to a powertake-oif of the type used on railway cars foractuating fans and like accessories and, more particularly, to a takeofi device on a refrigerator car in which the power is taken ofi of the periphery of the car wheel and a flexible drive shaft is used.

An important object isrthe provision of a takeoiT device wherein the take-off roller will follow the movement of the oarwheel when the car is operated on curved track, and wherein the takeofi' roller will selectively operatively engage the car wheel during thismovement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for selectively disengaging the take-off roller from the car wheel.

An important object of the invention is to provide new and novel mean for-swingably mounting the take-off roller whereby the associated flexible drive shaft will notbe bent on a radius smaller than the predetermined minimum radius for eliminating stress and breakage of the flexible shaft.

Another object is to provide a mounting for the take-oft roller which will protect the flexible drive shaft from attrition clue to flying road ballast and other like particles.

A further important object is to provide a new and novel take-off devicewherein the take-off roller is always within the plane of the car wheel, eliminating the necessity forthe use of auxiliary means to support the roller. in its ofi-the-wheel positions. 1 v I v v H Another object is to provide a .simpletake-ofl device of few parts which maybemanufactured, installed and maintained inoperative position at low cost. v

A further object is to provide new and novel means for bending the flexible shaft portion below the car body on a true radius throughout its length, during all service movements of the car wheel with respect to the car body.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts: I

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view through a car embodying the invention; the section being taken along line l--l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the portion of the car structureshown in Fig; 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic drawing illustrating the normal service positions of the car wheel and cooperating take-off roller f the present invention.

- Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic drawing illustrating the normal service positions ofv the. car wheel and cooperating take-ofl roller .0!- the flexible-s att- 7 Claims. (01. ins-.131)

2 take-off structures of the Pilley and Moorman patents hereinafter referred to. V v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the normal service positions of the car wheels with respect to the body of a car and showing the service positionsof the take-off roller of the present invention with respect to the various posi tions of the cooperating car wheel. V

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the cooperating car wheel and take-off roller of Fig. 5.

Throughout the following specification, the word inner is intended to mean toward the longitudinal center of the car and the word outer is intended to mean toward the side wall of the car.

In the drawings, a car floor In and side wall" areshown in supported relation with a center-sill M. A side-sill l6 and spaced intermediate sills may form a part of the car body supporting structure. The car body may be pivotally mounted upon the usual car trucks which include car wheels 20 and truck side frames 22. The foregoing structure is conventional car design.

A substantially U-shaped trough-like member 24 may be horizontally disposed intermediate the center-sill l4 and the car wheel 20 and maybe pivoted adjacent its inner, upper side walls to spaced butt member's ZB afiixed preferably to, the upper portion of the center sill by pivot pins. -A strap-like U-sha'ped yoke" 28 may be coaxially pivotedadjacent its opposed end portions to the butt members 26, by the same pivot pins, and may be disposed in outwardly spaced and generally underlying relation with the inner margin of the member 24. A flexible drive shaft 30 may be 00- operatively connected to a fan or other accessory in the body of the car and may extend substantially vertically through the car floor and may be arcuately bent about a relatively large radius in nested relation with the trough-like member 24, terminatingin a substantially horizontal outer end portion journaled in a bearing member 3| secured in nested relation with the outer end portion of the trough-like member 24 by an overlying clamp member 32 or othersuitable removable clamping means.

A take-01f roller 34 may be operatively secured to the outer end of 'tlie shaft' 30 in substantially coplanar overlyingrelation with the car wheel 28!. A lever 36 may be secured adjacent its inner end to one of the upwardly extending portions of the yoke 28, terminating at its outer end in a handle portion adjacent the side-sill It. A brace member 38 may be afiixed adjacent one end thereof to the periphery of the yoke 28 and may 3 extend obliquely toward and be affixed adjacent its opposed end to the lever 35 for the purpose or rigionying the relation 01' the lever with the yoke. A tubular housing 413 may be disposed in a substantially horizontal plane in ad acent spaced relation with the member 24, interme- (hate the member 24 and the brace member .38. The outer end portion-oi the housing 40 may be formed with a mounting bracket 42 adapted to be pivotaily secured to a cooperating bracket w on the ad acent wall portion or .the member 24. A horizontally disposed pivot pin may extend through abutting portions or the :brackets 02 and 44 adapted to permit theih'ousing All to swmg in a vertical plane about the pivotal pin 46. the inner end portion or the housing may be formed with an end wall ilhavinga central aperture therethrough. A rod i] may be pivotally secured to the yoke 28 at its inner -endand may extend through the aperture in the end wall 38 with its hla-jor outer end portion axially :dis-

posed within the housing -"iii and proVided adJaeent'its-outer end portion With "a washer '52 in peripheral sliding relationwith the bore 01' the housing. threaded and provided with one or more nuts,

The outer end-of the rod 50 may be 52, jorfpu rposes hereinafter described.

I A br acket '56 may besec'ured to the :side-sill Hi and maybe formed with 'a vertically dispose-d elongated aperture-"58 terminatihg-in-up'per and lower oiiset portions 60; this bracket being adapted to guide the handle portion of the lever 36"for' vertical movement within thefaperture 58. 'Ifhe opposed'adjaceritportions ofthofiset portions *5 t inay be formed with vertically disposed lugstz'adapted to maintain the lever 36'against lateral "movement in both its upper and lower positions. If desired, the bracket 56 may be formed with suitable locking means adapted to cooperate with and' lock thelever 36 in" its raised aniilowered positions. Abracket S4'may besecured to one of the intermediate sills "for the purpose of mounting an auxiliary motor orother drivingmeans, for actuating the drive shaft when the car is not in Emotion, as at aloading or unloading platform. The bracket may be 'flexible shaft will not be bent on .a radius small enough to damage orfracture the flexible shaft,

during movement of the car on tracks of short radius curves.

The prior art shows flexible drive shafts for actuating a fan in refrigerator cars; the drive shafts being actuated by a power take-off roller engageable with the tread of the car wheel. Some of these prior art structures showed the take-off roller mounted upon the car body, in overlying relation with the tread of the car Wheel, while others showed the roller mounted upon ethe car wheel, but the wide range of movement .of the car, wheel and cooperating roller (with respectto the car body) resulted in bending the fiexibledri-ve shaft-about a radius smaller than Ethe critical (safe) bending radius of the flexible shaft, when the car was on curved track, resulting in fatigueand breakage of the shaft.

presentdnvention is adapted to provide a flexible The drive shaft and cooperating take-off roller wherein the latter will maintain driven contact with the tread of a car wheel when the car is on curved track'and .WhereinJthe roller-mounted .end portionsof the shaft is so .mounted on the car body .that the flexible shaft will never be bent about a radius small enough to adversely a'flect the shaft.

One of the most important objects of the present invention is that of mounting the bendable portions'of the flexible shaft in a manner wherein the roller may foilow the tread of the car wheel, when the car is on curved track and insure=against the bending of the flexible shaft about a radius small enough to damage the shaft. It is'p'articularly 'pointed out'that the wide'range of movement of the lroller-driving car whee1,'-with respect to car body, is "considerable and this range of movement is "accurately illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, of the 'accompanying drawmgs.

It will be understood from the drawings that the take-oil roller of thep'r'esent invention moves in an arc'concentric' with' tlfe pivot about which the member 24 swings during movement of the c'ar wheel'with respee't to the car "body. It will be understood from the'drawings that the takeoff roller of the present invention hassubstantially itsfull width within the plane of the car :wheel during all service movements of the car wheel with respect to thecar body, for which reason no auxiliary fittings are required to support the roller in' an off-the wheel "position.

To place the power take-off of the present invention in position for actuating the flexible drivejshaft and the associated car accessory, the lever 36 maybe placed in the lower offset portion of the'bracket 56, as shown in 'Figs. 1 and 2. The lever will be held in this position by the lug 52 and the action of the spring 54 the latter urgingthe lever in an upward direction. With the lever in the position lastdes cribed, the take-oil roller will be held in "driven engagement with the car wheel by the action of the spring which urges the outer end 'of the member 2} in a downward direction. It will be seen that the tension in the spring may be suitably adjusted by manipulating the nuts on the outer'end of the rod. To move the take-off roller out-of driven engagement with the car wheel, the'levr m'ay beraised into interlocked relationw'i'th the "upper offset portionof the bracket 55 where it maybe maintained by gravity. The vertical portion of th'e'flexible drive shaft adjacent the upper plane of the car floor may be held in clamped relation with the car floor by a suitable member 88 and a cavity 10 may be formed within the upper and lower planes of the carfioor, coincident' the fiexible drive shaft,

act s a The cavity is adapted to permit the flexible shaft to bend arcuately adjacent the upper plane of the car floor in order to bend the shaft about a relatively large radius and this cavity may be filled with a resilient packing (not shown) adapted to permit movement of the shaft and provide an insulating member occupying the cavity. 4 7

It will be noted that the axis of the take-off roller is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the mounting member 24 and that the take-off roller is subject to side thrusts as it is moved vertically by the periphery of the car wheel, for which reason we prefer to pivotally secure the mounting member to the car by a pair of pivot pins spaced with respect to each other in order to provide the necessary longitudinal rigidity in the mount ing member to resist these side thrusts and limit the service movements of the take-off roller to a vertical plane.

Viewing Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the take-01f roller moves in a vertical plane throughout an arc concentric with the pivot point of the mounting member, enabling the take-ofi roller to follow the tread of the car wheel during the service movements of the latter. We feel that it is important that the last mentioned pivot point be as close to the center sill and the car floor as possible in order to preserve a maximum radii in the arcuately bent flexible shaft.

Fig. 3 of the drawings shows diagrammatically a sectional view, taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 6, to illustrate the relative service positions of a car wheel of a conventional railway car when the latter is on straight and curved track. Positions A and C indicate the extreme service positions 0f the car wheel on curved track of shortest conventional radii, and position B indicates the car wheel on straight track. Fig. 3 also shows the take-01f roller and associated flexible shaft of the present invention in their relative operative positions with respect to the car wheel when the latter is in positions A, B and C. Fig. 3 shows the radii of the arcuately bent flexible shaft of the present invention in all of its service positions. V

Fig. 4 of the drawings is identical with Fig. 3 with the exception of the take-off roller and associated flexible shaft, for the purpose of comparing the prior art structures with the present invention, particularly with respect to the service positions of the take-off roller and its relation with the car wheel in the prior art structures and the critical bending of the flexible shaft of the prior art structures in servic movements. Fig. 4 shows the radii of the arcuately bent flexible shaft of the prior art structures in service movements.

A flexible shaft of a diameter suitable for driving a refrigerator car fan may be bent on a radius (minimum) of 12 inches, for occasional bends, according to manufacturer's standard recommendations. For continuous rotation of the shaft the critical minimum radius is 16 inches, according to the same recommendations. Viewing Fig. 4, it will be seen that the flexible shaft of the prior art structures is bent on an 8 inch radius when the car wheel is in position A; a radius which the manufacturer advises will cause the flexible shaft to break. It will further be seen, from Fig. 4, that the flexible shaft of the prior art structures does not have sufficient length to permit the associated take-off roller to ards and practical considerations.

assume the position shown in the lowest dottedposition, without causing an acute bend at point D shown in Fig. 4 and without putting acute tension on the flexible shaft. It is as important to the proper use of flexible shafting to prevent tension therein as it is to avoid bending the shafting on radii smaller than that recommended by the manufacturer of the shafting; this recommendation being based upon engineering stand- The conditions illustrated in Fig. 4 are common with the flexible shaft take-01f devices of the prior art wherein the take-off roller is mounted for movement vertically in a single plane longitudinally with respect to the car and it is these conditions which are responsible for breakage of the flexible shafting and the resultant inoperativeness of the fan or other auxiliary devic in the car. It is an important object of the present invention to provide a flexible shaft take-off device wherein these objectionable and fatal features of the prior art structures are eliminated. It will be seen, viewing Fig. 4, that the take-off roller is almost out of engagement with the car wheel when the latter is in position A and is entirely out of engagement with the car wheel when the latter is in position C. It will also be seen, viewing Fig. 3 that the take-off roller of the present invention has its entire width in overlapping relation with the thickness of the car wheel in all of the service positions of the car wheel, and that the flexible shaft of the present invention is bent on a substantially true radii throughout its bent length in all of the service positions of the take-off device.

The foregoing detailed description is given for purposes of illustration and the invention is not to be limited thereby, reference being had to the appended claims for the scope of the invention.

We claim: 7

1. In a take-off device for a railway car including a take-off roller drivably engageable with a car wheel; a rigid lever pivotally secured at its inner end to the car body adjacent the longitudinal center thereof and swingable in a vertical plane transversely of the car, the take-off roller being rotatably secured to the outer end of said lever and a flexible shaft connected at one end to the roller and curving in a vertical plane with its other end extending vertically through the car floor adjacent the longitudinal center thereof.

2. In a take-off device for a railway car including a take-off roller adapted to engage a car wheel; a horizontally disposed elongated U- shaped plate member pivotally secured adjacent its inner end to the car center-sill swingable in a vertical pane transversely of the car, said roller being rotatably mounted on said member adjacent the outer end of said member and a flex ible shaft connected at one end to the roller and curving in a vertical plane with its other end extending vertically upward adjacent the car center sill.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein the flexible shaft is arcurately formed intermediate its outer end and wherein the lower arcuate portion of the flexible shaft is in overlying nested relation with the plate member which is adapted to protect said lower arcuate portion from attrition caused by flying particles.

4. In a take-off device for a railway car including a take-off roller adapted to engage a car wheel; an elongated member pivotally secured adjacent its inner end to the car and swingable in a vertical plane transversely of the car, said relief being fotatably mo 1 "teddjacent the outerendof said member and drivably connected with an auxiliary mechanism by a flexible shaft, a Lhshaped yoke normally in underlying spaced rela tlon with said member pivotally secured adjacent its upper ends to the car, a lever rigidly afilxed to one of said upper ends terminating in a handle portion adjacent the side sill of the car adapted to be selectively raised or lowered to disengage or permit engagement of said roller' with said wheel, respectively, said yoke being adapted to engage and lift said member and its associated roller out of engagement with said wheel when said lever ismoved to raised position.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein spring means is provided intermediate said member and said yoke adapted to yieldably urge said member and its associated roller toward said car wheel when said lever is in lowered position. I H

6. The structure of claim 4, wherein the handle portion of the lever is adapted for guided vertical movement with a bracket secured to the car adjacent the side sill, said bracket being formed with a vertical slot and upper and lower offset slot portions adapted to maintain the lever in selective raised or lowered positions;

7. In a take-01f device for a railway car in cluding a center sill, a floor and a take-off roller adapted to engage a car wheel; a member plvotally secured adjacent its inner margin to the center sill swingable in a vertical plane transversely of the car, the take-off roller being rotatably secured to the outer margin of said member and a flexible shaft connected at one end to the roller and curving in a vertical plane with its other end extending vertically upward adjacent the center sill.

HENRY D. BREEN.

ADOLPH G. KUELLMAR.

REFERENCES CITED fIhe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 873,862 Hoffman et a1 Dec. 17, 1907 881,599 Maher l Mar, 10, 1908 1,037,862 Cadman Sept. 10, 1912 2,184,488 Conwell Dec. 26, 1939 2,413g158 Van Dorn Dec. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 189,257 Great Britain Nov. 30, 1922 

